NASCAR driver killed in plane crash was a Homestead-Miami Speedway legend

MIAMI — NASCAR star Greg Biffle, his wife and two of his children were among the dead when a plane registered to him crashed Thursday shortly after takeoff in North Carolina, reports say. During the prime of his career, he broke records locally as a three-time consecutive champion at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Garrett Mitchell, also known as YouTube star Cleetus McFarland, said in a social media post that Biffle, 55, his wife, daughter and son were en route to visit him in Sarasota, Fla., when the crash occurred, the Bradenton Herald reported. Authorities have yet to confirm the identities of the deceased.

Around 10:15 a.m., the plane, a Cessna Citation C550 jet, crashed at Statesville Regional Airport in North Carolina, where Biffle and his family reside, the Charlotte Observer reported. There was a heavy drizzle and clouds were low around the time the jet took off.

According to Flight Aware, the plane was scheduled to fly to Sarasota, then Treasure Cay, then Fort Lauderdale before returning to Statesville.

Biffle began his NASCAR career in 1995, driving his first race in NASCAR’s top series, the Cup Series, in 2002. Over 515 Cup Series races, Biffle won 19 times and had 175 top-10 finishes.

While he never won a Cup Series season title — the closest he came was in 2005, when he won a season-high six races, but finished second to Tony Stewart — he was selected as one of NASCAR’s 75 Greatest Drivers in 2023.

He became a legend at Homestead-Miami Speedway when he crossed the checkered line first in three consecutive years from 2004 to 2006. He is the only NASCAR driver to three-peat at the speedway since it opened in 1995.

Speaking on the 2006 trophy win, Biffle told the Miami Herald at the time it was one of his most difficult races.

“I was nervous as can be and I was just scared to death I wouldn’t be able to hold them off,” Biffle said.